Take up the shield

Last week I wrote about the sword of the spirit and how important it is to drench yourself in His word, The sharpest weapon we’ve been given… But what happens when the enemy strikes back?

Jesus didn’t just get tempted once in the desert; the enemy was determined to get Him to slip up.

But Jesus had FAITH. He didn’t just memorize scripture.. He had faith behind it.

Last blog was about declaring the word (drawing your sword) the sword doesn’t stand alone though, it needs the shield of faith.

“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Ephesians 6:16

“The flaming arrows” can be anything from despair, doubt, fear, etc
basically LIES.. the shield –FAITH– covers you and interferes with those arrows.

(I know I mentioned the sword being used for this, but the sword in general is standing firm on His word/promises for any struggle or obstacle in life whether thoughts come or not.)

Let’s dive into this faith thing:

What is it?

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -” Ephesians 2:8

What does it do?

“..who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:5

The cool thing about Faith is, it isn’t just a defensive weapon used in battle..

It is fundamental in our relationship with Papa.
Although it is a gift, it still needs to be in a constant state of growth. We’ve been given a portion that must evolve, the only way we would see progression in that is by our noticeable different actions. (Like when trials come, and you start to respond with boldness in faith instead of fear,etc.)

Faith with out action is dead.

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds (actions) ? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:14-17

In a perfect world, we would always take Papa at His word and believe in His goodness 100% of the time, we wouldn’t doubt His love, or whether His promises to us are indeed truth. Sad thing is, we don’t easily believe Him.

Like I mentioned before, when we were younger we had crazy faith, we were so brave jumping from couch to couch or off the swing mid-air . Now, we seem to have deposited that faith into areas that don’t benefit us or our relationship with Papa… We believe more that bad things would happen to us than good things. We believe more in being bound by something than redeemed from it.

It’s time to see that mustard seed faith GROW. Mountains aren’t the only thing needing moving trucks.

“Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield all around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.” Psalm 3:1-3

Not just in front. Not just behind.. All around you.

He is the shield. It’s not about our strength, it’s about our ability to remain in Him, staying close and remembering the promises He made.

Take up your shield princess.
Let your faith g r o w.

Papa, thank you for knowing what we need in each of our individual bouts and walks in life. Thank you for giving us exactly what we need at the precise time it’s needed. You are such a great provider and protector. Thank you for being our shield. I pray you would help us grow our faith. I pray boldness would come over us to pray boldly and ask for opportunities to allow our faith to grow to no longer be afraid or uncomfortable with things we do not understand, but secure in with whom we stand. Thank you for your love Papa, in Jesus name amen.

You needed faith to see those unspoken prayers come to fruition.. So speak them. 😉